Letters, parcels or packages are frequently delivered in containers having one or more standard labels that are applied, affixed or otherwise disposed thereon. Such labels may typically include bar codes or other one-dimensional or two-dimensional coded representations of data, along with sets of alphanumeric characters including text or numbers associated with one or more contents of the container, an originating sender or an intended recipient. When a container bearing a label with one or more bar codes and sets of alphanumeric characters arrives at a location such as a storage facility, a distribution facility or a fulfillment center, the bar codes and the alphanumeric characters may be read or otherwise interpreted by one or more automatic means.
Bar codes that are included in a label applied to a container may be interpreted relatively easily by applying or focusing a standard scanner or reader onto the bar codes, or by capturing one or more images of the bar codes, and evaluating the images to determine locations and orientations of the bar codes within such images, or to recognize the data encoded in the bar codes. Alphanumeric characters that are included in the label, however, may be interpreted according to one or more optical character recognition (or “OCR”) techniques that may be relatively cumbersome. For example, in order to read or otherwise interpret text, numbers or other characters that are shown in an image, the image typically must be processed in order to locate and interpret the characters within the image. In particular, the task of locating the characters within an image to be interpreted is frequently the most challenging aspect encountered during an OCR process. In order to ensure that all relevant text, numbers or other characters represented within an image are interpreted, the OCR process typically must evaluate the entire image. Where the characters to be interpreted are small in size, or the images in which such characters are included are large, the processing of such images may consume a great deal of a computer's processing capacity and take several minutes for each image.